Trailers which are towed behind motor vehicles for any of number of purposes include, cargo trailers, boat trailers horse trailers, camping trailers, house trailers and mobile homes. Virtually all such trailers are one of two types which are distinguished by the method used to connect them to the tow vehicle. A "gooseneck" or "fifth wheel" trailer is attached to a hitch point over the center of the rear axle, most commonly located in the center of the bed of a pickup truck. A standard or "tag-along" trailer uses a more universal point of attachment which includes a hitch ball located low and at the rear of the tow vehicle and anchored to the frame or bumper. While gooseneck type trailers are generally considered to have more desirable towing characteristics, not all vehicles are capable of accommodating a gooseneck trailer and most trailers are designed to be towed using a standard hitch. Accordingly, the present invention provides a standard-to-gooseneck adapter for attaching a standard hitch trailer to a tow vehicle having a gooseneck hitch capability and provides a pair of retractable wheels located at approximately the balance point or center of gravity of the device for relative ease of handling of the adapter during its installation onto and removal from a trailer.
Detachable gooseneck adapters are found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,810,661, 3,840,252, 3,889,978, 4,832,358, and 3,881,749. Only the last listed patent shows an adapter with wheeled mobility, but its removable wheels are at its rearmost end, far from its center of gravity, and when detached the adapter is certainly not suitable for facile positioning and installation or removal at the hands of a single person.